The Trophy
by SafiraMajika
Summary: Someone new enters the lives of the team and old wounds are reopened.
1. The New Girl

**Notes:** _Dom, Vince, Mia, Leon, Jesse, Brian and Edwin do not belong to me. They are the property of Universal Pictures. Niema Cross and Pris Foster are the only ones who belong to me. This is written for non-profit entertainment purposes. It is also written AU (Alternate Universe) format._

**The Trophy**

Leon saw the platinum and blue Supra before the rest of the team did. It parked right next to Edwin's car, but no one got out. "Yo, Jesse. We got a new car," he called out, waving a hand at the younger man to get his attention. Jesse's eyes lit up and he looked around at all of the cars. When his eyes fell on the Supra, he grinned. "Sweet piece," he practically crowed, making his way through the crowd to get closer to the car. He was nearly to it when the driver's door opened and a young woman got out. The young man stopped dead in his tracks. The driver was quite possibly the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

Now standing next to the car and talking to Edwin, the driver was maybe 5' 8" with a well-defined, almost muscular body. A long burgundy-streaked, light brown braid hung down over one shoulder. A skintight and sleeveless aqua body shirt showed off curves that any man would love. Black leather pants clung to nicely rounded hips and long slender legs that ended in calf-length black boots. However, it was her face that had made Jesse stop. Vivid green eyes peered out of a tanned heart-shaped face with a beautiful smile gracing it.

Leon came to a stop next to Jesse. "Jesse, what's up?" he asked, following his friend's gaze. Jesse simply pointed. Leon's eyes widened and he stared right along with Jesse. "Damn," he muttered, his eyes roving over the girl's body. "Uh huh," was all that Jesse could manage. "I'm with ya, bro," he breathed, "Let's go find out who she is." Wordlessly, Jesse followed him over to the Supra.

Niema glanced around at the other cars. "You sure this is okay, Edwin? I've heard that Toretto's really funny about new people," she asked, praying it wouldn't be a problem. Edwin grinned broadly. "Don't worry about it, Ni. I'm vouching for you so he won't say anything. You gotta relax, girl," he told her, knowing that she was nervous and proud of the fact that it didn't show. She smiled back at him. "You know that Pris is going to kill me because I didn't bring her along, don't you? I'm going to send her your way when she goes nuclear," she teased, leaning against the side of her car. Edwin raised his hands as if to ward her away from him. "Don't you dare. One ass-chewing from her was enough. I don't need another one," he laughed as he caught sight of Jesse and Leon coming toward them.

He held out a hand as the two young men came to a stop in front of him. "Leon, Jesse, how you doin'?" he asked, clasping wrists with Leon and nodding to Jesse. Leon smiled. "Still here, man," he replied, slightly inclining his head toward Niema. "This is my girl, Niema. Ni, this is Leon and Jesse. They're part of Toretto's team," he introduced with a smile. She smiled at both of them. "Nice to meet you, Leon, Jesse." "Same here," Leon said in what he hoped was a charming voice. "Who did your detailing?" Jesse asked, unable to help himself. "I did. Did the engine work too," she told him, pulling out her keys and pressing a button. Jesse grinned as her hood popped up and began to raise on its own. "Pattern 4?" Niema smiled brightly. "Yeah, it took a little while to get it installed but it works like a charm," she answered, gesturing for him to look at her engine. They both turned away from Edwin and Leon and leaned over the engine.

Leon shook his head and tugged Edwin away from Niema's car. "So where'd you find her?" he asked when they were a few feet away. "I've known her for a while. She's been racing up north for the last couple of years. When she came back down a few months ago, I told her that I'd get her into our races," Edwin explained, leaning against the hood of his own car. Leon nodded. "You know Dom's gonna give her shit, right? I hope she can handle it," he commented, giving him a meaningful look. Edwin laughed. "Oh, I'm hoping he does. He's going to be in for a surprise, though." "That good?" "Oh hell yeah, she's that good." The conversation might have continued if Dom hadn't stalked over to Niema's car.

"You used a Honda modification? Does it help the fuel intake?" Jesse asked, lightly running his fingers along a fuel line. Niema nodded. "Boosts it about 90. Plus it gives the NOS more room to play," she replied, tapping the underside of the carburetor. Jesse nodded happily. "You're good. I wouldn't have thought to use a modification like this one, but if it works, more power to you." She laughed softly. "Oh, it works."

"Jesse," someone growled behind them. Niema watched as Jesse's face seemed to close up when he turned around to look at the man behind them. She straightened up and took a good look at Dominic Toretto. She had to admit that he did appear to be intimidating. "Hey, Dom. I was just looking at Niema's engine," he stammered softly. "Is there a problem with that, Mr. Toretto?" Niema asked, her voice coming out low and cold. Dom's dark eyes met her green ones. "Who the hell are you?" he snapped, frowning. One delicate eyebrow rose. "Niema Cross." "I brought her, Dom," Edwin said in a low voice as he stepped between them. Niema pushed him out of the way. "You should know by now, Edwin, that I can handle bullies on my own," she murmured, barely glancing at him.

"What makes you think you belong here, Niema Cross?" The crowd that had gathered around them watched as a cold smile curved her full lips. "Two years undefeated at Big Bear. Is that good enough for you?" she answered, crossing her arms over her chest. Dom laughed. "Those are pussy races, sweetheart," he said as he turned and walked away from her. He didn't get more than ten feet from her before she threw out the challenge. "Well, I've got five large that says this pussy can blow your car off the fuckin' street, Toretto," she called out. The other racers were silent as Dom turned around and stared at her. "Go home before you get embarrassed, little girl," he told her, grinning broadly. She laughed aloud, still smiling. "You're turning down a challenge? Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

Dom's smile disappeared in a heartbeat. "Show me the money." Niema pulled out a folded wad of bills. Anyone standing close enough could see that they were hundreds. He pulled out an equally large wad and handed it to the dark-haired girl next to him. "Mia holds the money. Let's see what you've got," he said, turning and going over to his car. Niema gave the money to Mia, closed her hood and slid into the driver's seat of her car.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea as Niema's car moved forward to line up with Dom's. She touched a button on her dashboard and Saliva's "Click Click Boom" blared from her speakers. Her eyes flicked quickly from the girl with her arm raised to the street in front of her. The girl's arm dropped and Niema smoothly popped her car into gear. The Supra shot forward like it had been fired from a cannon. Niema barely glanced over at Toretto's car as it started to pull ahead of her. She downshifted and her car popped ahead, pulling even with Dom. "Bye," she whispered as she hit the NOS button on her steering wheel. The Supra roared forward, leaving Dom behind.

Dom glanced over, not expecting to see the Supra. His eyes widened when he realized that she was dead even with him. "Shit!" he yelled as she mouthed the words 'bye'. He heard the NOS injection a second too late and punched his NOS switch. He downshifted and the car leapt forward. A few seconds later, he was almost to her and he heard the pop of her second NOS injection. He hit his second one and could only watch as her car slammed forward and crossed the finish line. Crossing it a few seconds after her, he slowed the car and turned it around. She was almost back to the start line.

When Niema brought the car to a stop, Edwin was waiting for her. "Damn, girl!" was all he said, but he was smiling broadly. She climbed out and let him hug her. Others around her were shouting congratulations but she noticed that only one person on Dom's team was smiling. It was Jesse. Oddly enough, she was happy that it was him.

Dom's car rolled to a stop and he shut off the engine. He sat there for a moment and wondered what the hell had happened. He'd just been beaten and by a newcomer. This had never happened to him before. Vince leaned down and looked in the window. "You all right, bro?" he asked, his brow furrowed. Dom looked over at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. But I just got my ass kicked by a woman," he replied, a smile slowly creeping across his face. Vince grinned. "Yeah, you did. Hey, at least she's good-looking," he said in consolation. Dom laughed. "There is that." Vince moved as Dom opened the door and got out of the car.

Niema steeled herself as Dom walked over to where she stood. "Damn good race, Niema Cross," he rumbled with a smile as he took the money from Mia. She relaxed slightly and held out her hand, palm up. Dom threw back his head and laughed. Dropping the money into her hand, he said, "Guess maybe the Big Bear races aren't for pussies, huh?" Niema smiled brightly. "Not hardly," she told him, pocketing the money.

Suddenly, the small pager clipped to her waist beeped loudly. "Cops," she simply said and ran toward her car. "Follow me," Dom yelled as he ran back to his car and got into the driver's seat. She blinked her headlights in reply and followed him as he sped away from the scene of the race.

Cars scattered to the four winds as police cruisers suddenly appeared among them, their lights flashing. A police helicopter joined the chaos a few moments later, its spotlight flashing down on different cars. But from the looks of things, the LAPD would be out of luck.


	2. The Party

Niema stayed close to Dom all the way. When he rolled up into the driveway of a house, she pulled up right behind him. It seemed that others had arrived first if the music blasting out of the open windows was any indication. She got out and looked at him. "C'mon in and have a beer, Niema. You earned it," Dom invited, waving at her to follow him. "Sounds good to me," she laughed, walking faster to catch up to him.

They walked into the house and were met with cheers. Dom raised an eyebrow and smiled at her as he walked away from her to get two beers. Jesse came up to her. "You weren't kidding about that modification!" he exclaimed happily, "You've got to show me how you hooked it up. It was awesome." She smiled at him. "I'd be glad to." That said, she followed Jesse over to the couch where Leon was trying to beat a young blonde man at a video game.

With a grin, Jesse tilted his bottle and let a few drops of Corona dribble down the back of Leon's neck. "Ahh, fuck!" he shouted, dropping the controller and jumping up from the couch. The other man laughed. "Way to go, Jess. He was cheating anyway," he said as he shut off the game and put his controller on top of it. Leon turned to look at Jesse, his eyes wide. "What was that for, brother? I was winning," he demanded, picking up his controller and tossing it on top of the game system. "Me and Niema need to talk some business. Besides, you weren't busy; you were just cheating at Grand Theft Auto, man," Jesse answered, a smile tugging at his lips. Leon shook his head and started laughing. "Next time, just tell me to move, man. Don't waste good beer." "Ah, it was only a few drops, Leon. Ain't like I poured the whole bottle," Jesse shot back. "Yeah. Behave yourself, young man. Niema, don't let him offer to show you his 'engine'. That could scar you for life," Leon teased, his eyes twinkling. Jesse snorted as Leon turned and walked away. The two of them sat down and immediately started to talk about engines.

Across the room, Vince was watching her. His eyes darkened slightly when he thought of what she'd said to Dom. Only one other person had ever talked to him like that and gotten away with it. It had been Letty. Letty had never backed down from Dom and had no problem speaking her mind. From the looks of things, Niema was the same way. For a moment, he felt an ache in his heart. The whole team missed Letty but he wondered if Dom missed her at all. Sighing heavily, he took his Corona and made his way through the crowded living room and out onto the front porch. He needed some quiet.

Niema caught a glimpse of the dark-haired man watching her. "Jesse, who is he?" she said, nodding in his direction. Jesse's wide smile faltered slightly. "That's Vince. He's sort of Dom's second, you know?" She nodded. "Why is he staring at me?" Jesse shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe because you beat Dom. That's why most of the people here are staring at you." Niema smiled slightly. "You act like that never happens," she commented, smiling as Dom returned with a cold Corona. "It doesn't," Jesse murmured, grinning up at Dom. Dom handed the beer to Niema and gestured around the room. "Make yourself at home. Everyone else does," he laughed before he headed toward the kitchen. Niema smiled slightly. "Thanks, Dom."

She couldn't help but laugh softly. "What?" asked Jesse, giving her a curious look. "He's not fitting the stories I've heard about him. He doesn't seem like so much of a hardass," she explained, still watching Dom's retreating back. "He used to be. But people change, you know," the young man murmured, his eyes visibly darkened by something akin to pain. From the look in his eyes, Niema realized that he was thinking of something painful and she didn't want to see that look. She preferred to see him smile.

"Does the team have a car that's compatible with the Pattern 4 set up?" she asked, changing the subject. Jesse brightened immediately. "Yeah. My car," he laughed, grinning broadly. She thought for a moment. "The Jetta?" He nodded. Smiling, she replied, "It would be a cinch to install it. Probably wouldn't take more than 30 minutes." "That's great. Would you still help me get it in?" Niema smiled, her green eyes twinkling. "I'd be glad to, Jesse." To her surprise, the younger man bounced happily. She was glad that he was as enamored with cars as she was.

_In the kitchen_

Mia watched her brother watching Niema Cross. "Stare any harder and you'll burn a hole right through her," she teased as she sliced a ripe tomato. "There's something about her, Mia. I don't know just what it is but it keeps hitting me real good," he told her, giving her a smile that she hadn't seen in over a year.

"She reminds me of Letty," Mia stated, glancing at her brother before continuing, "Especially that pussy remark. No one but Letty could ever talk to you like that without getting popped." Dom's face hardened. "I thought I said not to talk about her. She's gone and there's no reason to bring her up again," he rumbled, his voice betraying the slightest quiver. Mia stared at her brother. "You still can't say it, can you, Dom? **Letty is dead**. She's dead, Dom. Just like Mom and Dad," she told him, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

He jerked away from her. "I know that, Mia," he ground out, anger visible in his dark eyes, "I know it better than you do. I was there, remember? I had to stand there and watch her die because I couldn't save her."


	3. A Good Moment Goes Wrong

Niema sat quietly on the couch and wondered if Jesse was ever going to come back. He'd wandered off over half an hour ago saying he'd be right back. She sighed and glanced at her watch. It was still early, at least for her. The noise was getting to be a bit much though.

She rose to her feet and looked around, spotting Leon and Brian not far away. Walking over to them, she tapped Leon on the shoulder and said, "If Jesse comes looking for me, just tell him that I stepped outside for a few minutes." Leon grinned. "You can smoke in here, you know?" he teased, winking at her. "I don't smoke, wiseass. I just need some air. Tell him, would you?" Leon nodded. "You got it, Ni." As she walked away, the two men went back to their conversation.

The moment the front door closed behind her, she took a deep breath. "Much better," she murmured, turning to walk toward one of the railings. Halfway there, she tripped over someone and fell, just barely catching herself with her hands. "Sorry about that," a male voice said as a warm callused hand caught her arm. "It's okay. I wasn't looking where I was going," she replied, turning around and sitting down. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized who she had tripped over. "Vince, right?" she asked, smiling slightly. "And you're Niema Cross," he answered, not looking at her. "Sorry if I'm bothering you," she said quietly, leaning back against the house. "Nah, you're cool." Neither of them spoke for a while. Finally, Vince broke the silence.

"Two years undefeated at Big Bear, huh?" he asked, setting down his bottle and looking at her. "Yep. Retired on top," she joked softly, lightly scraping the Corona logo on her bottle. "On top is the best position," he told her and then wished he hadn't said it. A low, musical laugh spilled from her, making him relax. "_Good_," he thought, "_I didn't piss her off_." "I like being on top," she teased, her eyes twinkling in the low light. "Me too. What do you know about that?" he laughed, grinning at her. "We both have good taste in positions?" He laughed harder, feeling the tension run out of his body. "You're okay, Niema Cross," he said when he had finally caught his breath. "So are you, Coyote," she replied, quirking an eyebrow. He smiled and wondered how she knew about that.

"Ahh, so you've heard of me?" Niema nodded. "I've heard of you. I don't know how much of it is true, but I've heard of you," she replied, trying not to laugh again. "What have you heard?" he asked curiously, turning slightly to face her. "That you're a legend among women, protective of your team, good with cars and a damn good driver," she told him, wondering if the first part was true. Vince laughed. "I am protective of the team, good with cars and a damn good driver. I don't think I'm a legend among women. I guess I have tried though," he answered, hoping he wasn't making her angry. "Most men try to be legends among women but few succeed," Niema stated with a broad smile. Vince couldn't stop laughing this time. He didn't want to because it felt too good.

_Inside_

Dom stalked out of the kitchen and almost ran into Jesse. "Everything okay, Dom?" Jesse asked, worried by the look on his friend's face. "Yeah, Jess. Don't worry about it. Where's Niema?" he answered, looking around the room. "Leon said she stepped outside for a little bit. She said she needed some air," the younger man laughed, hoping that Dom really was all right. He'd been acting strangely ever since Letty had died. "Thanks, Jess," Dom told him, grinning and clapping him on the shoulder.

Jesse watched as Dom wove his way through the small crowd and headed toward the front door. He shrugged and went into the kitchen. "Mia, what's up with Dom?" he asked, seeing the girl leaning against the counter, her dark eyes sad. "I mentioned the 'L' word," she replied, smiling sadly. Jesse stared at her. "You're braver than I am," he told her, leaning over and hugging her. "I just wish he'd deal with it. He's letting it eat him alive." "I know. He'll deal with it when he's ready to, you know that." Mia nodded. "I do know that. I just wish he'd let me help." Jesse hugged her again. He understood exactly how she felt.

Niema was laughing so hard at Vince's story that she fell over, her head landing on his muscular thigh. "Then what did he do?" she gasped, looking up at him. Vince hiccuped and replied, "He says_, 'But I thought you wanted to see my engine._' I swear I was rolling." She laughed harder, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Vince, you are hysterical. Absolutely hysterical," she complimented him, grinning as she caught her breath. He reached down and lightly ruffled her hair. "You're pretty funny yourself."

Niema tucked her hand under her head. "Why do they call you Coyote?" she asked after a few moments. He sighed and fiddled with her braid. "Because I'm pretty much a loner. Well, except for the team. They're my family," he told her, suddenly liking the feel of her hand on his leg. "You're lucky," she murmured, toying with his jeans, "Not many people have people that they're so close with." That comment surprised him. "You don't have anyone you're close to?" he questioned, stroking her hair lightly. "Nope. Just me. I think it's always been that way," she answered, closing her eyes. Vince was about to say something when the front door opened and someone stepped out of the house.

"Niema, you out here?" Dom called out, squinting to see in the dim light. "Yeah, Dom. I'm over here talking to Vince," she replied from his left. He walked over just in time to see her sit up. For some reason, he got angry. "Just talking? Hope you both enjoyed it," he gritted, turning and going back inside, the door slamming behind him. Niema sighed heavily. "I'm gonna go. Tell Jesse to let me know when he wants to install the Pattern 4," she murmured, getting to her feet and stepping over Vince's legs. He got up and caught her around the waist. "You don't have to leave, Niema," he said softly, using his free hand to tilt her face up to his. "It's better if I do. I'll talk to you again, Coyote," she told him, smiling as she pulled away from him and went down the steps. "Count on it," he called to her as she climbed into her car. She nodded in reply and started her car, backed it out of the driveway and drove away.

Vince watched her taillights disappear into the night and wondered what was wrong with Dom. He didn't know but he was damn sure going to find out.


	4. Confrontation

_The next afternoon in Niema's driveway_

Niema was halfway under her car when her housemate came out of the house. "Yo, Ni! Somebody named Jesse is on the phone for you," she called from the porch. Niema slid out and sat up. "Thanks, Pris. Just set it on the railing," she answered, getting to her feet and wiping off her hands. Pris grinned and held the receiver up to her ear. "She'll be with you in just a second." Niema laughed and reached for the telephone. Her friend handed it to her and leaned on the railing.

"Hey, Jesse. 'Sup?" Niema asked, crossing her eyes at Pris. On the other end, she could hear loud music in the background. "Hey, Ni. I was wondering if you could help me install that Pattern 4 tonight?" he asked her, speaking loudly over the music. "Sure. Bring your car over and we'll get it hooked up, kid," she replied, raising her middle finger at Pris who was making kissy faces at her. "What's the address?" She laughed softly. "1735 Drayton. Know where it is?" "Hang on a sec. Leon, knock it off, man. Hey, you know where 1735 Drayton is?" she heard him ask. "Yeah, it's not too far. Why?" she heard Leon say in the back. "Never mind. Niema, I'll be there in about 15 minutes. That cool?" "Yeah, Jesse. I'll be waiting." "Cool. See ya." "Bye." Niema hung up and handed the phone back to Pris.

"So who's Jesse?" she asked, eyeing Niema curiously. "I met him last night at the race," Niema answered quietly, knowing that Pris was going to be upset. "Is that where you were last night? Damn, girl, I wanted to go too. You know that." She held up her hands in a placating gesture. "I know, Pris. But I needed to race last night. And I did." Pris smiled. "Did you win?" Niema nodded and grinned. "Hell yeah. Beat Dominic Toretto, too," she responded, wiggling her eyebrows. "Ooohh, I'm scared. I've heard he's the king of the street races. How did he take it?" Pris asked gleefully, her brown eyes dancing. "He seemed to take it well. Of course, that seemed to change during the party at his house. I was out on the porch talking to Vince when he came out, got pissed and then I came home," she told her, shrugging her shoulders, wanting to forget about it.

Predictably, Pris jumped to her defense. "What the fuck was his problem?" "I don't know, Pris. I was just sitting there with Vince and talking. He came out, called my name and when he saw me with Vince, he got pissed and went back inside. Whatever his problem is, he'll get over it," Niema said in irritation. "Well, he'd best not try that shit around me. I'll wrap a hubcap around his head. This Vince, who is he?" Niema smiled slightly. "Coyote." Pris snorted. "You mean the slut? How many times he try to get in your pants last night?" "He didn't. That surprised me. He actually seems kind of nice." "I'll believe it when I see it," Pris stated, her eyes clearly showing that she didn't believe it at all. Niema shook her head. "The only thing I'm thinking about right now is helping Jesse get his hood lift installed. Do me a favor, would you? Try to be nice for once." Pris pouted prettily. "I'll be nice, Mom." Niema let loose a snort of laughter. "I'll believe it when I see it," she said, using Pris's own words. "You'll see," was all she would say.

_At Dom's house_

"Leon, come with me, huh?" Jesse asked, pacing back and forth in front of the couch. Leon tilted his head slightly and looked at his friend. "What's wrong, little man?" Jesse shook his head. "Nothin'. It's just that the chick who answered the phone sounded hot and you know how I get around chicks sometimes," he explained, desperately hoping Leon wouldn't choose now to make fun of him.

Leon grinned. "Tell you what, man. I'll go with you and keep this other chick busy. Sound like a plan?" he suggested, getting to his feet and clapping Jesse on the back. The look of intense gratitude on his friend's face was answer enough. "Let's go get your hood lifted, Jess." Laughing slightly, Jesse and Leon headed out of the house after telling Mia that they'd be back later.

_Niema's house_

Music blasted out of the windows of the house as Niema leaned over her engine. Pris was dancing from the garage to her own car with a toolbox in her hands. She stopped in her tracks when a white Jetta pulled into the driveway and parked next to Niema's Supra. She watched two men get out of the car, one tall with dark brown hair and the other a skinny, nervous looking blonde. The tall one looked real good to her.

"Hi, Jesse. Leon, you protecting his honor?" Niema teased, raising up and grinning at both of them. "You bet. Gotta keep the ladies off the studmuffin, y'know?" Leon laughed as Jesse blushed. Niema smiled. "I've got the kit in the garage, Jess. You can help me carry it out here. Pris, pick up your chin and bring the tools, would you?" she said, grinning at her friend. Pris shot her the finger and dropped the toolbox next to the Jetta. Niema laughed and had Jesse follow her into the garage.

"So you're Leon," Pris commented, folding her arms over her chest and looking him in the eyes. "Yep. That means you're Pris. What kind of name is that, anyway? " he asked, leaning against Jesse's car and looking at her speculatively. She rolled her eyes. "It's short for Priscilla. But don't ever call me that or you'll die a slow, painful death." Leon grinned. "I'll just call you Pris then." Pris nodded. "Smart boy." "Actually, I'm a smart man but I'll let your comment slide." "Well, I'm a smartass so I think we'll get along just fine." He smirked and tilted his head a little to the left. "It's a nice ass, too," he complimented her. "It looks better if you get the full effect," she teased, turning her back to him and leaning her upper body against Niema's car. Leon groaned softly. "Damn, baby. Mmm mmm mmm," he chuckled, grinning broadly when she turned back around. Pris just winked at him.

Niema stood in the doorway of the garage, watching Pris and Leon. She started to laugh as Pris did her trademark 'porn pose'. "What's so funny?" Jesse asked, coming up beside her. She could only point. Jesse followed her finger and watched Leon checking out Pris's ass. He laughed as well and picked up one of the boxes next to Niema. She picked up the other one and they carried them down to Jesse's car. "Get a room," was all Jesse said and it was enough to make both Leon and Pris laugh.

Niema and Jesse were almost finished with the installation when tires squealed around the corner. She leaned up as did Pris and groaned audibly when she saw that it was Dom. "That Toretto?" Pris asked, her eyes narrowing. "Yeah, why?" she asked, noticing the flathead screwdriver in her hand. "No reason," Pris lied cheerfully before leaning down and popping off a hubcap. Niema sighed heavily. "I really don't need this shit," she mumbled, setting down her ratchet and stepping away from Jesse's car.

Jesse saw Dom's car and his jaw tightened. Dom had been pissed since last night and he and Vince had pretty much been snarling at each other all day. Leon came over and stood next to Jesse. "Relax, man. Everything's cool," he told his young friend softly. "Yeah, right. And I'm a normal guy," Jesse retorted, feeling the need to start pacing.

_Dom's car squealed to a stop and he was out of it before it was completely in park. He looked highly pissed. A slender redhead stepped in front of him, hubcap in hand. "Step off before I wrap this around your big, bald head, Toretto. You're on my property now so you'd best keep your ass in the street," she threatened, deftly flipping the hubcap like a baton. Dom stared at her like she'd sprouted a second head. "Leon, Jesse! Get back to the house," he ordered, anger rolling off him in waves. To his utter surprise, Jesse shook his head. "Ni's helping me install a Pattern 4 and I'm not leaving until it's done," he told Dom, though he was shaking. Leon nodded. "And I leave when Jesse leaves. Y'know, I hope that whatever's up your ass gets removed soon, 'cuz you're embarrassing Jesse." That seemed to have an effect on Dom. "I'll see you at the house, Jesse," was all he said before he turned and got back into his car._

_Burning rubber as he took off, Dom couldn't believe what Leon had just said to him. He'd always been funny about his team embarrassing him and here he was doing it to one of them._

Niema smiled at Jesse, though the smile looked painful. "Let's get this done, huh, Jess?" she suggested quietly, turning back to the car. He softly touched her shoulder. "What's going on , Ni?" he asked softly. "I don't know, Jesse. He gave me attitude last night because he found me out on the porch with Vince. We were just talking and he got pissed about it," she replied softly and gave him a weak smile. Jesse shook his head. "It couldn't be that. I mean, it doesn't make any sense," he said. "Don't worry about it, okay? I'm not," she told him. "Let's get this done." Dropping the subject, Jesse got back to work on the hood lift.

Niema and Jesse finished installing the Pattern 4 and then he and Leon left. Without a word to Pris, Niema walked into the house and straight to her room. The door locked behind her, she refused to come out even when Pris told her that dinner was ready. That was when Pris knew that something was seriously wrong.


	5. Jesse Steps Up

Mia was surprised by the look on Jesse's face when he and Leon came in nearly an hour after her brother. "Where's Dom?" he asked, his face red. She pointed at the kitchen and watched as the thin young man went past her. "What the hell happened?" she asked Leon, catching his arm as he made to follow Jesse. "Dom got pissed and made a scene over at Niema's. Don't ask me why 'cuz I don't know," he said, pulling free of her grasp and going into the kitchen.

Breathing heavily, Jesse stared at Dom, who was leaning against the counter. "How could you do that, Dom? It wasn't right. Ni wasn't doing anything wrong. She was just helping me with a hood lift and you show up giving her attitude. Why, Dom?" he asked, his voice slightly raised. "Jesse, you don't understand-" Dom began, but Jesse cut him off. "I do understand, Dom. You're pissed about something and taking it out on her. What's happened to you, man? You didn't used to be like this. Everything changed when Letty died. Since then, you're usually pissed off and you and V are usually snarling at each other. I'm sorry, man, but I just can't take much more," the younger man said, choking slightly towards the end. There, he'd said it. He'd finally said what had been on his mind for so long.

The hard look in Dom's dark eyes told Jesse that he might have pushed it this time. "Don't you **ever** mention her name in this house again, you understand me? Not ever again!" the older man shouted, towering over Jesse. "Why? Because you fucked up and Letty died?" came V's voice from the back door. Dom turned and looked at the man who had been his best friend since the third grade. He had expected Vince to respect his wishes. "You don't know a fuckin' thing about how I feel," he said, his voice dangerously low. "I know this much, Dominic. When we buried Letty, you pushed us all out, even Mia. Then you tried to make it like she was never here. But she was, brother, and you can't erase that," V told him, stepping closer to him. "Fuck you! You don't know anything," Dom roared, shoving Vince against the sink and barreling past him. The back door slammed as he left the house.

Mia went to Jesse and wrapped her arms around him. "Just let it go, Jess. He'll deal with it when he's ready," she murmured, hugging him tightly. "I wish he would. It's just that he's gotta stop being like this. Ni didn't do anything to him." "No, she didn't. But I did," Vince said. All eyes turned to him. He sighed and explained what had happened on the front porch the night before. "Dom overreacted, made a real shitty comment to her and took off before either of us could say anything." Mia shook her head. "There has to be another reason," she said and then stopped.

Leon gave her an odd look. "What?" "Dom said that there was something about her that was hitting him real good and I said that she reminded me of Letty," she told them. Leon picked up her line of thinking right away. "And if she reminded you of Letty," he began softly and Jesse finished, "_then she reminds Dom of Letty._" Vince groaned. "Niema's head was on my leg when he came out looking for her. Jesus, no wonder he's pissed. He thinks we were fooling around."

No one knew what to say to that.

_Niema & Pris's house_

The music filtering out of Ni's room was getting louder. Pris knocked on the door and was surprised when it slowly opened. Carefully sticking her head into the room, Pris grinned as she watched her best friend beat the hell out of a standing kickbag. The upper half of it swayed from side to side as Ni's hands and feet connected with it repeatedly.

Ni turned and looked at her friend. "Sorry about earlier," she called out, turning down the stereo. "It's cool, girl. I was just worried about you, especially when you didn't want to eat. You never turn down my baked ziti and garlic bread," Pris said with a smile. Ni grinned. "I guess there's a first time for everything. I was just so pissed at Toretto that I didn't want to take it out on you. Forgive me?" Pris laughed. "Ahh, I guess, ya goofy bitch. Get cleaned up and come eat before I change my mind, though." Ni laughed as she unwrapped her hands. "I'm the goofy bitch?" she teased, imitating the pose that Pris had done for Leon earlier. Pris blushed. "He started it when he told me that I have a nice ass," she retorted as Ni went into the bathroom. "Let me guess," Ni laughed over the sound of running water, "he needed the full effect?" A soft giggle escaped Pris. "What can I say? He appreciated it." "I'll just bet he did," Ni replied a few moments later as she came out of the bathroom. "Hey, he's an ass man and I have a nice ass. We're perfect for each other." Shaking her head at Pris, Ni smiled and informed her, "Oh, you're perfect for each other, all right. Perfectly fuckin' nuts."

The two friends laughed as they left the bedroom and headed to the kitchen. They were both suddenly very hungry.


	6. Making Peace?

Leon stared at the piece of paper on the coffee table. It had been three days since Dom's explosion in the kitchen and everyone was walking on eggshells. The last thing Dom needed to know was that Leon was about to call Niema and Pris.

It was Mia's idea, actually. She figured that if Leon called, neither woman would hang up on him. Jesse agreed with her and so did Vince. So here he sat, staring at Niema's phone number. "Ahh, fuck it," he muttered, picking up the phone and dialing the number. It rang two times and he heard Pris's drawling voice answer. "Your quarter; use it or lose it." "Pris, it's Leon. Please don't hang up," he said quickly, looking up as Mia and Vince came into the room. He shivered when he heard her laugh on the other end. "Why would I hang up on you, Leon? I like you," she teased. "What are you and Ni doing tonight?" he asked, his palms starting to sweat. "Ni's got a kickboxing class at 6 and I'm hanging out here. Why?" Leon took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you two wanted to come over for awhile." There was silence on the other end. "Chrome Dome gonna be there?" Pris finally asked rather nonchalantly. Leon chuckled. "No, he won't. Will you come?" Her laughter filtered through the phone once more. "Will you make me?" she replied, her voice low and husky. "Damn, Pris," he groaned softly, leaning back on the couch. Across from him, Mia and Vince were both giving him odd looks.

"Ni's class is over at 8 so how about we come over after she gets done?" Leon smiled. "That'll be great. You sure that Ni won't mind?" "She won't mind. She'll be too tired to mind," Pris laughed through the phone. "Okay. We'll see you around 8:30 then." "Cool. See you then, darlin'."

When Leon put the phone down, Mia was still staring at him oddly. Vince was grinning. "What was that about?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest. Leon shook his head. "It's nothing," he replied, getting to his feet. "Where are you going?" Vince asked with a smirk. "I'm taking a shower. I stink. You know, kind of like you do," Leon retorted, heading for the stairs. Vince stared at Leon's retreating back and then looked at Mia. "Do I stink?" Trying not to laugh, Mia shook her head. "Not too much." Vince groaned and ran up the stairs past Leon. "I get the shower first!" he yelled. Leon ran after him. "Not if I get in there before you, asshole."

Mia couldn't hold the laughter in anymore. Those two were so predictable.

Pris laid the phone on its base and smiled. That was the first thing Niema noticed. "What did you do? Make a date with an obscene phone caller?" she teased. Pris shook her head. "We're going over to Toretto's after your class," she replied, trying to predict Ni's reaction. "Cool. I've been wondering how Jesse's hood is working," was all she said. Pris raised an eyebrow. This wasn't the reaction that she had expected. "You're okay with going over there? No doubts or anything like that?" Ni shook her head. "I don't have a problem with any of them, Pris. Mia's nice and so are Jesse, Leon and Vince. Dom's the one who seems to have a problem with me so he'll either talk to me about it or he'll ignore me." Pris nodded. "But you're still going to pretend that your kickbag is his head, right?" Laughing, Ni replied, "Most likely."

Leon bounced down the stairs fifteen minutes later, dressed in clean clothes and smelling strongly of cologne. Jesse looked at him. "Let me guess: Pris said yes," he commented and then sniffed. "Damn, bro! How much of that shit did you put on?" Leon laughed. "Not as much as V. He smells pretty. **And** he's trimming his fuzz," he informed Jesse with a grin. Jesse laughed. "Now that's weird." Mia came out of the kitchen and smiled. "You look nice, Leon," she said though she wasn't sure about the cologne. "Thanks, Mia. Let's hope Pris thinks so," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Don't worry, Leon. If she likes you already, it won't be a problem."

Everyone in the room stopped and stared when Vince came downstairs. Jesse whistled. Not only had V trimmed his beard and mustache, he'd also pressed out a clean shirt. "Dude, I didn't think you even knew what an iron was," Jesse teased laughingly. Vince snorted and glared at him. "Nothing wrong with putting on clean clothes, is there?" Jesse shook his head. "Not a thing, man. Not a single thing." "Well, I think you both look very nice," Mia complimented, smiling at both of them.

Leon and Vince smiled at each other. They just hoped that she wouldn't see what they'd done to the laundry room to look like this.

_Corelli's Gym_

"Awesome, Niema. Good roundhouse kick," Franco told her as her right foot viciously connected with the standing kickbag in front of her. She smiled and did it again. Of all of the things that could relax her, this was one of them. Kickboxing helped her get rid of stress and aggression. And lately, she'd really needed to get rid of some aggression, thanks to Mr. Dominic Toretto.

Ten minutes later, Franco signaled the end of the class. "Everybody have a safe night and I'll see you on Friday," he called out over the noise of people heading for the locker rooms. Catching up to Niema, he pulled her aside. "I heard about the race last Saturday. Good job," he congratulated with a wink. Niema stared at him. "How do you know about that?" she asked quietly, glancing around to see if anyone else had heard. He grinned. "My little brother races. He told me what happened. Nice work." Niema laughed softly. "Thanks." "See you on Friday. Be careful, okay?" he said before walking away. She nodded and headed to the locker room.

By the time she'd stripped off her sweaty clothes, she was the only one left in the room. She turned on the shower and stepped under the warm spray. As the water cascaded over her, she started to unwind. Her watch beeped and she looked at it. "Shit! Pris will be here in five minutes," she swore and grabbed her shampoo. Quickly washing her hair and rinsing it, she hurriedly washed the sweat off her body. She shut off the water, wrapped a towel around herself and hurried out of the shower. Her body was still damp when she started pulling on clean clothes.

"Yo, Ni! You ready?" she heard Pris call from the door. "Gimme a minute to run a brush through my hair," she called back, slipping her feet into her boots and grabbing her bag. She went to the long mirror on the wall and swiftly untangled her hair. It didn't take long for her to brush it back and put it in a ponytail. "You know, your hair looks better down," Pris commented, smiling at her best friend as she came towards her. Ni snorted. "No, it doesn't. Let's go," she told Pris. Pris shrugged and followed her out into the gym. Ni waved at Franco and his wife Carlotta as she and Pris went out the front doors. Pris had actually been able to find a parking space in front of the gym. That was a minor miracle in itself.

After Pris had pulled out into traffic, Ni turned sideways in the seat. "Does my hair really look better down?" she asked seriously. "Yes, it does. I wish mine was long enough to wear like you do yours," Pris replied honestly. She couldn't help but laugh as Ni pulled the scrunchie out of her hair and ran her fingers through it. "Better?" Ni finally asked. Pris nodded. "Perfect." With a smile, Ni sat back in the seat and relaxed.

When they pulled up in front of the Toretto house, they saw Leon chasing Jesse with what looked like a hose. "You're gonna pay for that, little man," Leon was shouting though he stopped when he saw the car. Pris climbed out of the car and smiled. "Why don't you come chase me, Leon?" she called out. He grinned at her. "You're too fast for me," he laughed, walking over to the car. "How's it goin', Ni?" he asked, wrapping his long arms around her. Ni laughed. "It's going. Why were you chasing Jesse?" Leon actually blushed. "Just something he said," he answered, shaking his head slightly. "I told him that he smelled like a French whorehouse," Jesse called out from behind his car. Niema only laughed

As Niema came up to the porch, Mia and Vince stepped out of the house. Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Hi, Mia, Vince," she said almost breathlessly. "Hi. Come on in," Mia invited softly, holding open the door. As she walked past Vince, she took a breath and sighed inwardly. He was wearing Cool Water, her favorite cologne. "Are you two coming in or not?" Mia yelled with a smile. "We'll be in as soon as Pris says uncle," Leon yelled to them. Ni turned and grinned. "You've got a long wait, junior," she replied, going into the house.

"Do you want something to drink?" Mia asked, noticing the looks that passed between Niema and Vince. "Sure, what have you got?" she replied. "Tea, beer, soda, water." "Tea's good. Thanks," she replied as Mia headed to the kitchen.

She and Vince stood in the middle of the living room looking at each other. "You look good with your hair down," he said quietly. "It brings out your eyes." "You look good, too," she told him almost shyly. From his place on the couch, Jesse rolled his eyes. "Kiss her or something, would ya? I'm gonna be sick over here," Jesse groaned good-naturedly. He was hoping for some fireworks between the two of them.

"Shut up, Jesse," they said in unison and then started laughing. But the laughter stopped when they heard, "What the fuck are you doing here, Cross?"


	7. A Reason Why

Niema turned to look at Dom, her green eyes cold. "I was invited to come here," she told him calmly, stepping away from Vince. "Well, consider your skank ass uninvited and get the fuck out of my house," Dom growled, taking a few steps toward her. "I invited her, Dom," Mia yelled from the kitchen door, "so knock it off!" The big man turned and glared at his sister. "Well, I don't want her here!" Mia glared right back at him. "Well, I do and since I live here too, she's staying."

Without another word, Dom stormed up the stairs, his feet thundering with each step.

"Sorry about that, Ni," Mia said, holding out a glass of iced tea. Niema shook her head and accepted the drink. "Don't worry about it, Mia. It's not your fault. Hell, I don't know whose fault it is," she sighed, taking a drink of tea. Vince spoke up. "He's pissed about the other night," he told her. Ni gave him a confused look. "You mean he's pissed about my beating him? That's what this is about?" she asked, looking from Vince to Mia. Mia sighed heavily. "The race has nothing to do with it. There's more to it than that," she told her. Ni sat down on the couch. "How about you tell me what else there is to this? 'Cuz I really don't think I can take this attitude of his every time we're in the same room."

Mia sat down in the chair across from her. "It starts a long time ago. There was this little girl who grew up just down the street from us. Her name was Letty and she adored Dom. Being a typical guy, he never noticed her. At least not until he couldn't help it. After that, they were always together. Dom loved her like crazy, called her his 'trophy'," she explained, lightly running her finger around the rim of her glass. Ni nodded. "And?" she asked, giving Mia an encouraging look. Mia looked directly into Ni's Eyes. The pain and sadness in thE younger woman's brown eyes tore at Ni's heart. "About a year ago, Dom and Letty had a fight. I don't know what it was about but Letty was seriously pissed, knocked Dom on his ass and stormed out of the house. Dom went after her to try to calm her down. When she was pissed, Letty was like a hurricane. She'd wreck anything in her path. By the time he got outside, she was in her car and going down the street. He went for his car and heard squealing tires. Just as he turned around, Letty's car was hit by another one. Her car flipped twice and then exploded," she finished, tears misting her dark eyes. Gasping softly, Ni stared at the younger woman. "But how-?" she started to ask. "There were two NOS tanks in her car, Ni," Vince explained softly. A soft sob escaped Ni before she could stop it. "Oh God, Mia. I'm so sorry," she murmured, reaching over and squeezing Mia's hand.

Mia smiled weakly. "Are you ready for the shocker?" she asked. Ni nodded. "You're a lot like Letty, Niema. That's one of reasons he likes you so much. _You remind my brother of Letty._ And in Dom's eyes, the worst thing that could have happened would be if she had ever fooled around on him. Especially with V," Mia told her, stunning Ni into silence.

Niema didn't know what to say to that. She was having enough trouble trying to wrap her mind around the concept that Dom liked her.

_Outside_

Unaware of what was happening inside, Pris and Leon were still on the hood of Pris's car. "You need to let me up, Leon," she laughed, pushing lightly against his chest. "Aww, but I don't wanna," he whined playfully, catching her wrists and holding them up next to her head. "Please?" she asked, giving him a little girl look. He groaned softly. "What will you give me if I let you up?" he countered softly, leaning closer to her. A smile curved her lips. "How about a kiss?" she whispered as Leon let go of her hands. He leaned up and looked thoughtful. "I don't know," he mused, helping her sit up on the hood. "You know you want one," Pris teased with a smirk. Leon raised an eyebrow. "And just how do you know what I want, beautiful?" "I can read your mind," she whispered.

Leon simply smiled as Pris caught the waistband of his jeans and pulled him closer. He came to a stop between her legs, his hands resting on her thighs. Pris curled her right hand around the back of Leon's neck and pulled his head down to hers. "Told you," she murmured, lightly brushing her lips across his. Leon groaned softly and pulled Pris to her feet, his arms wrapping around her. His mouth slanted across hers and he kissed her hard. Her soft moan against his mouth made him hold her tighter. They stayed wrapped in each other's arms, lips locked.


	8. Love & Loss Remembered

_Dom's bedroom_

Dom stripped off his shirt and threw it on the floor. He couldn't believe it. She was sitting in _his_ living room on _his_ couch next to Vince. It wasn't right. Niema Cross was worming her way into his team and he couldn't stand it. She had no right. He sat down on the bed and rested his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. From the moment she'd challenged him, he'd thought she was different, had been sure that she wasn't like the other racer skanks. As much as he hated to admit it, she was like Letty. Tough with a beautiful face and a tongue like a straight razor. He couldn't imagine anyone stepping up on Niema. But he had and she hadn't backed down from him. Just like Letty.

He laid back on the bed and rubbed his eyes. What V had said to him the other day was true. It was his fault that Letty was dead. If he hadn't pushed her, hadn't pissed her off so badly, she might not have taken off the way she did. "I'm sorry, Letty. I'm so fuckin' sorry," he murmured, closing his eyes. Dom could hear voices downstairs and wondered what they were talking about. How much in common could Niema actually have with them? She was a street racer. True, but what else was she? Was she just trying to get in good with them for the prestige? There were so many girls who'd done that and he'd tired of them very quickly. His trophy had been the one that had mattered the most to him. And now she was gone and it was his fault. He'd as good as killed her.

Silence filled the room as Dom remembered how his life had been before Letty died. All of the nights that he'd held her against him, her warm skin so soft against his and the way her eyes would spark when other women dared to look at him. He missed that feeling, missed every feeling that she'd brought out in him. There were times when he could still feel her here, feel her skin against his. More than once he was sure that he'd heard her voice in the middle of the night. He missed her so goddamn much that it hurt. That was one of the reasons he refused to let anyone talk about her. Dom wanted to keep her to himself, keep her in his heart alone, and not give up any part of her memory to anyone else. It was wrong of him and he knew it. But, as always, he did it anyway. That part of him hadn't changed in the last year.

He sat up and was about to strip off the rest of his clothes when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Boots. It was probably Vince. "I don't want to deal with him right now," he thought to himself and took off his belt. He had just unzipped his pants when his bedroom door came right off its hinges and crashed to the floor. Staring at the doorway in shock, his eyes took in the sight of Niema standing where the door used to be. Her hands were fisted and resting on her hips and her green eyes snapped in the light. Dom would've been blind not to notice that she didn't look happy. "What the fuck?" he roared suddenly, snapping out of his reverie. Niema waved a hand. "You need to listen, Dominic, and listen good. I am not Letty. I may be a lot like her but I'm not her. Since that point is taken care of, let's move on to the next one. What right do you have to be pissed because I was talking to Vince on the front porch?" she snapped at him as she crossed her arms over her chest.

He stared at her. For the life of him, he couldn't think of an answer and that scared him.


	9. Breakthrough

_Outside_

Leon smiled against Pris's curly hair. "You're amazing, you know that?" he murmured as he stroked his hands up and down her back. "Am I?" she whispered, leaning back slightly and looking up at him. He nodded and lightly kissed her. "You're pretty damn amazing yourself, Leon." His smile broadened and he chuckled. "You know what that means, don't you? We're perfect for each other," he told her. Pris remembered Niema's earlier words and simply smiled.

When Leon held out his hand to her, she took it and let him lead her to the house. "I hope Ni and Dom got everything straightened out," Pris said, sounding worried. Leon opened the front door and tugged her inside. "I'm sure everything's cool with them," he told her assuringly. The sound of a door forcibly coming off its hinges changed his mind immediately. "What the fuck?" he yelled, dropping Pris's hand and running for the stairs. Pris was right behind him. At the foot of the stairs, they saw Mia, Jesse and Vince staring upwards. "What's going on?" Pris demanded, glaring at Vince, "Where's Niema?" Mia smiled at her. "She and Dom are going to talk things over," she giggled. "Is that what that's called?" Jesse quipped, clapping his hand over his mouth so he wouldn't laugh.

The five of them listened intently and when Dom roared, Pris started up the stairs. Vince caught her arm and shook his head. "Don't, Pris. They need to take care of this," he told her, noticing the increasingly hostile looks he was getting from her. "What the hell do you know about it?" she hissed, trying to pull her arm away from him. "I know that he's hurting and Ni may just be the one who can help him." That stopped her cold. "_Maybe the slut's not as dumb as everyone says,_" she mused thoughtfully. "All right. But I don't like it," she said stubbornly. "Thanks, Pris."

They each sat down on a step and continued listening to what was happening upstairs.

_Upstairs_

Dom kept staring at Niema. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but nothing came out. "I don't know what's wrong with me," he finally murmured, rubbing his face. When he looked at Niema again, she was more relaxed. "I think I know what's wrong. It wasn't your fault, Dom. You weren't driving the car that hit hers," Niema whispered, coming to him and kneeling in front of him. "You don't understand," he whispered, tears welling up in his dark eyes, "I'm the one who made her leave that day. It was _my_ fault that she got into her car. If I hadn't pushed her so much, she wouldn't be dead." "No, Dom. It could've happened to anyone, on any day, at any time. Did you know that she was going to die that day?" she asked him softly, pulling his hands away from his face. He could only shake his head. "Did you know she would get that mad at you?" Again, he shook his head. "Did you know that the other car was going to run a stop sign and hit her?" "God, no," he answered in a near whimper. "Then how is it your fault?" "It just is."

Niema stubbornly shook her head. "That's bullshit. The only way that Letty's death could be your fault was if you were driving the car that hit her. You weren't, Dom. I know you don't want to hear this, but you have to let it go. No matter how much you think you deserve to be at fault, _you have to let it go._ You'll destroy yourself and your team if you don't," she told him, holding his large hands in hers.

An anguished sob escaped him and tears rolled down his face. "I miss her so goddamn much, Niema," he gasped, looking into her eyes. "I know you do, but you can't change what happened. You can change what's happened since. I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love and I know it's hard to keep going once they're gone. I want to ask you something and I want you to be honest with yourself and with me. _Would Letty want you to be like this?_" she asked, reaching up and gently wiping tears from his cheeks. He was silent.

Dom actually thought about what Niema had asked him. If he said that Letty wouldn't care, he'd be lying. Niema was right. He had to be honest with himself, even if it was only this one time. He owed that to Letty.

He raised his head and looked into Niema's eyes. "She'd kick my ass all over this house," he replied, a slight smile curving his lips, "And then she'd kick it up and down the street." By the time he was done speaking, he was actually smiling. "And I bet she'd be pretty pissed about the way you've been treating the team, too." Dom groaned softly. He knew he'd really fucked up with them and he had to make it right somehow. "You think they'll ever forgive me?" he asked softly, looking at her hopefully. Niema smiled at him. "There's only one way to find out," she answered, rising to her feet.

She started toward the doorway and turned back for a moment. "They need to know why you've done the things you have. And don't try to bullshit 'em. They're too smart for that," she warned him, turning away once more. Niema had barely taken two steps when Dom spoke. "I was afraid V would win you before I had a chance," he explained, hoping that she understood. Glancing at him over her shoulder, she said, "Let's just say that I'm open to all possibilities, but I'm not making any promises." With that, she left the room.

Dom stared after her and smiled. He glanced upward. "If her coming here was your idea, Letty," he murmured, "I'm going to owe you big."

As Niema came down the stairs, everyone that was waiting jumped to their feet. To the surprise of all, she went straight to Jesse. "Try not to be too hard on him," she murmured, ruffling his short hair, "He's trying." Jesse nodded and hugged Niema tightly. Behind Jesse, Mia was crying. "Is he okay?" Niema nodded. "I think so, but he's going to need help. From _all_ of you," she answered, giving Vince a pointed look. He nodded at her, half-smiling.

Niema looked at Pris and Leon. "So, who won?" she asked with a straight face. Leon looked at her, confused. Pris giggled, "He did." "Who won what?" he demanded, looking from one woman to the other. "The game," Pris told him, winking. He looked nonplussed. "What game?" he nearly shouted, getting upset. With smiles, both women answered, "Tonsil hockey." Mia broke into laughter, Jesse following not far behind. Vince just shook his head and chuckled softly. Leon snorted. "Y'all women are crazy!" he stated, shaking his head. Pris leaned up and kissed him on the nose. "You wouldn't like me if I wasn't." "And she's definitely crazy," Niema teased, laughing herself.


	10. An Apology & A Surprise

Everyone had chilled out considerably when Dom finally came downstairs. Niema nodded at Pris and began to rise. "We should get going," she told Mia, "I've got to be at work early and Pris has class first thing in the morning." "Are you sure?" She and Pris both nodded. "It was nice meeting you, Mia. Maybe I'll see you again," Pris joked with a smile. Mia laughed softly. "You'd better come by again. This is the most well-behaved Leon's ever been," she replied teasingly. Leon gave her a disgruntled look. "I resent that remark," he objected. Mia stuck her tongue out at him. "You mean you resemble that remark," she quipped, drawing laughter from everyone else.

As she and Pris neared the door, Dom stopped her. "Thanks. For everything," he murmured, smiling at her. Niema smiled slightly. "I didn't really do anything. But you're welcome," she replied, lightly hugging him. He laughed softly. "Don't be a stranger, all right? You too, Pris." Pris gave him a surprised look. "No hard feelings over the hubcap incident?" she asked, catching Leon's smirk. "Do I want to know?" Vince called out from the couch. "I'll tell you later," Dom answered with a laugh as he walked them out to Pris's car.

Dom watched as Pris backed out into the street and drove away. As the taillights faded, he wondered what he was going to tell his team. He knew that the first thing he had to do was apologize to them. Sometimes, that was the hardest thing for him to do, period. Dom sighed heavily. The best thing to do was to just get it over with.

When he walked back into the house, he saw four worried faces staring at him. A smile curved his lips. "I think I'm gonna be okay," he began, sitting down across from Leon, Vince and Jesse, "But I've got a lot to make up for. Especially to all of you. I am so sorry for the way I've acted. It was wrong of me. Jesse, I appreciate you calling me on it the other night. And all of you are right. I haven't been fair when it came to Letty's memory. I've been selfish and hateful. We all loved her and we all lost her. You were right, V. I can't erase that, no matter how much I wanted to. Letty was too much a part of us for me to do that. If I could take back every word that I said to her that day, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I can't and I have to live with that. All I can do is hope that you'll forgive me. And I'll understand if you don't." By the time, he finished, tears misted his dark eyes.

Mia reacted first by throwing her arm's around her older brother's neck, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I was so scared that I wouldn't get my brother back," she murmured, sniffling slightly. Dom's big arms closed around her. "I'm sorry, Mia," he whispered, hugging her tightly and stroking her long, black hair. He sat still for a little while, simply rocking her like he'd done when she was little.

It took a while but Leon finally made up his mind to forgive Dom. The older man had been right on all counts. Letty had been such a big part of their lives that she couldn't be erased from it. Not by Dom or anyone else. "I'm cool with you, man. Just remember that we lost her too. You ain't the only one who's been hurting," he said softly, raising his eyes and looking directly at his friend. Dom simply nodded and gave him a small smile.

Jesse wrung his hands as he considered what the last year had been like. He could understand that Dom had been hurting, but hadn't they all? Hadn't he cried himself sick when no one was around because he felt like a piece of his heart was gone? He straightened his hands out and flexed his fingers. "You hurt us real bad, Dom. You hurt me real bad," he whispered into the silence that filled the room. "I know I did, Jess, and I don't expect you to forgive me," came Dom's reply. Jesse raised his eyes. "See, that's the thing. I do forgive you but I can't forget it, y'know?" "I know." The young man heaved a sigh of relief. He was glad that Dom understood.

Vince listened to what Leon and Jesse said to Dom. Part of him wanted to forgive his best friend while the other part didn't know where to start. There was a lot of hurt and anger in him that had never been let out. He wasn't sure if he could just shove it away. Finally, he spoke. "I don't know, brother. I just don't know," he told his friend honestly, hoping that Dom could see his point of view. "I'm not expecting it, V, I'm just asking for it. That's all I have the right to do," Dom told him calmly though Vince could see hurt in his eyes. Vince nodded. "We'll see how things go, Dom. Take it a day at a time. That's all I know to do." Silently, Dom inclined his head in agreement.

_In Pris's car_

"How do you think things are going?" Pris asked, glancing at Niema. "I don't know," she sighed, "He's burnt some bridges so he's gotta rebuild them." The younger woman nodded in agreement.

A few minutes later, Niema spoke again. "So, is he any good?" she inquired with a smile. "Who?" Laughter bubbled up out of her. "Leon, ya dork. Who did you think I meant?" she giggled. Pris rolled her eyes, swatted at her best friend's shoulder and muttered, "Smartass." "You know you love me," Niema teased, ducking the playful swat. Snorting, Pris grinned and answered, "He's reaaaaal good. He doesn't kiss like I thought he would, though." "Should I ask or remain blissfully unaware?" "I'm serious. I expected him to be a rough kind of kisser but he wasn't. He kisses kinda like those romance novel guys. You know, slow, sweet and hot," Pris explained. "Ahhh. Curled your toes, huh?" "And a few other things," her friend replied with a smirk. "Pris, you bad girl," Niema laughed, though she was glad that Pris liked Leon. Her friend had been alone too long. "He likes me this way so deal with it," Pris giggled as she turned the corner onto Drayton. Her giggle faded as she saw someone on the porch of their house.

The girl on the porch watched the car squeal to a stop after pulling into the driveway. "Hi, Pris," she called out cheerfully, waving as the two women got out of the car. Her spirits fell slightly as she saw the look on Pris's face, though she felt a little better about the smile that Niema gave her.

"Becca Jane, what the hell are you doing here?" Pris demanded, hurrying up the stairs, "Does Mom know about this or did you just wander out of the house again?" Becca's bottom lip trembled at the anger in her older sister's voice. "She knows. It was her idea," the girl replied in a near whisper. Pris stared at her.

"Bec, what's going on?" She looked up at her sister. "She's getting married and doesn't want me to get in the way," she answered, biting her lip. The older woman slumped against the porch rail. "Tell me she's not marrying that asshole Pauly. Please tell me it's not him," she said, giving her little sister a weary look. With a small, rueful smile, Becca nodded. Pris groaned and closed her eyes. "Man, that sucks." Niema came up the steps and put a hand on Becca's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. We've got plenty of room and you're always welcome," she told the girl and nudged Pris with her foot. Pris opened her eyes and smiled. "That's right. Screw Mom and the moron. I'm glad you're here," she said, hugging her tightly. "You mean it?" Pris nodded and so did Niema. "Hell yeah, we mean it. Besides, I need a good mechanic. Ni here ain't got her mind on the game anymore," she said, giving Becca a conspiratorial wink.

Becca looked at Niema wide-eyed. "Did you finally meet Toretto? What's he like? Is his car beautiful? Does he really win every race?" she asked, the questions coming out in a rapid fire manner. Niema laughed softly. "Yes. He's not too bad. His car is absolutely gorgeous and no." "Geez, Ni, how 'bout some details? You never give details," she groaned as Niema unlocked the front door and the three of them went into the house. "Relax, Blinker, there's plenty of time to give you the details," Niema laughed as she closed the door behind them.


	11. A New Friend

_Friday night_

"I'm seriously thinking about not going to class tonight," Niema sighed as she stretched out on the sofa. Becca smiled at her. "Then don't. You work out with your kick bag every day anyway. Take a night off," she said, looking up from her laptop. "I think I will. Could you hand me the phone, Blink?" The girl rolled her eyes and picked up the phone, holding it out to Niema. "Thanks, brat," she teased as she took the phone. Becca snorted softly and went back to what she'd been doing.

"Franco? Hi, it's Niema. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not going to make it to class tonight. Work was heinous and I'm exhausted. Okay, I'll see you next week then. Bye," was all Becca could hear of the conversation. As Niema hung up the phone, Becca looked up. "Soo, whatcha doin' tonight? Aside from lounging on the couch, that is?" she asked curiously. Niema shrugged. "I don't know. I thought about calling Mia and seeing if she wanted to come over. What do you think?" she replied. Becca looked thoughtful. "Cool. You want me out of the way?" "No. You live here too, squirt, so that means you're not in the way," Niema reminded her with a smile. A blush covered the girl's cheeks. "I know. I just don't want to be a bother to anybody," she said, smiling slightly. She was about to say something else when the phone rang. Niema glared at the phone. "I'm not answering it," she laughed. Becca giggled and picked it up.

"HoneyBear's Pleasure Palace, we'll leave you squeakin' from the freakin'," she said into the phone, making Niema laugh helplessly. "Damn, Becca Jane." The girl rolled her eyes at her. "Umm, yeah, she is. Hang on," Becca said a moment later and handed the phone to Niema. "Who is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Mia, ya dork," the younger girl giggled. "Ahh so," Niema laughed, taking the phone, "Hi, Mia. What's up?" She listened for a few moments. "I'll ask her. Blinker, feel like going over to Mia's for a while with me?" she asked Becca. "Sure." "Okay. Blinker's cool with it. We'll be over in a little while. Okay. See you then." Niema hung up the phone and laid back down on the couch.

"I should change clothes, shouldn't I?" Becca asked suddenly, shutting down her laptop. "You like fine, Blink," Niema laughed as she sat up, "I'm the one who needs to change clothes." With that, she got up off the couch and headed down the hall to her room. Becca watched her for a moment and then decided to change her clothes as well.

When Ni came out of her room ten minutes later, she was surprised to see that Becca had changed clothes. Taking in the bib shorts, hot pink tank top and tennis shoes, she smiled. "You look cute in that, Blink. Hot pink is definitely your color," she complimented, chuckling softly when Becca blushed. "Well, I didn't want to look grungy, y'know?" "I know exactly what you mean. C'mon, brat. Let's get going," Niema told her, waving for her to come along. Becca rose from the chair and followed Niema out to her car.

On the way to Mia's, Becca was extremely quiet. That worried Niema. _"She's been quiet since she got here. Something must be on her mind,"_ Niema thought. "What's wrong, Becca? And don't say it's nothing. You're a lousy liar," she asked, glancing over at the girl. "I was just thinking." "About?" "Stuff. You know, why my mom hasn't called, is she having fun on her honeymoon? That kind of stuff," Becca replied, looking out the window. Niema understood now why Becca had been so quiet since she'd arrived. "Your mom's having one of those times when she needs time to herself. It doesn't mean that she doesn't love you, hon," Ni said softly, reaching over and squeezing Becca's hand. The girl looked at her. "She's been having one of those times for over a year and a half, Ni. The least she could have done was ask you and Pris if it was all right if I came to visit. That's just common courtesy," Becca told her before looking out the window again. Ni smiled. "Hey, you know me. I love surprises. And you're the best surprise anyone could have sent." She felt better when Becca looked back at her and smiled. "Thanks. I kinda needed to hear that. Sometimes I wonder if I'm a bother." "You're not a bother, Becca Jane, and don't let anyone tell you that you are. You're like my little sister and I'm glad you're here. Pris is too," Ni informed her, smiling. Becca giggled. "Wait two weeks. That'll change," she teased, making Ni laugh. "Probably. But I'll still be glad that you're here. And so will Pris. Provided you don't try to steal Leon away from her." "Yeah, right," Becca laughed as Ni came to a stop in front of Mia's.

Mia was on the porch when they got out of the car. She saw Ni, waved and turned her attention to Pris's little sister, Becca. "You must be Becca. It's nice to finally meet you," Mia said in a friendly voice. "Same here," the girl murmured shyly as Mia ushered the two of them into the house.

Vince and Jesse were in the middle of a surprisingly loud video game. Ni smiled mischievously, snuck up behind the couch and blew in V's ear. He jumped in surprise and quickly turned to see who was behind him. "Hey, Ni. How ya doin'?" he chuckled, smiling at her. "I'm all right. Jesse kicking your ass again?" she teased, smiling back at him. "Not until you blew in my ear." The young man beside him snorted. "You wish. I was beating you like you owed me money," Jesse retorted though he had a smile on his face. His smile faded slightly and the look in his eyes grew curious as he saw the girl standing next to Mia. Ni grinned. "Jesse, this is Becca Foster. Blinker, this is the mad scientist," she said by way of introduction. Jesse gave Becca a shy smile and kind of waved. "Hi," Becca murmured shyly, looking at Jesse through her lashes. Ni turned away and decided to see what happened when the two of them were left to their own devices. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked Mia as she followed her and Vince into the kitchen.

Jesse simply stared at Becca for a little while and was surprised when she stared back at him. "_She's so pretty_," he thought, taking in the auburn ringlets that hung to her shoulders, the intelligent caramel brown eyes and the pretty heart-shaped face, _"She looks like an angel." _He was completely stunned by her but he was still aware that she was scrutinizing him the same way he was her. He just hoped that she wasn't thinking about how lame he was.

The first thought that crossed Becca's mind as she looked at Jesse was how normal he seemed. Back home, a lot of the so-called 'brains' had acted like snobs. She couldn't see that in Jesse. All she could see was a cute, sweet guy.

"So you're the mad scientist, huh?" she asked softly, taking a few steps toward the couch. "Ahh, yeah. Dom started calling me that a few years ago. I'm good at coming up with cool stuff for the team's cars," he answered, motioning for her to come closer.

"I kinda do that for Pris sometimes, but Ni uses my stuff more," Becca told him, coming around the couch and sitting down. "Why did she call you 'Blinker'? Is that some kind of nickname?" "Yeah. I'm really good at fixing things, especially cars," she said, glancing down at the Playstation 2. Her eyes widened. "You were playing Silent Hill 3? I haven't even been able to get a hold of it yet," she exclaimed, smiling at him. "You like Silent Hill?" Jesse asked her, a surprised look on his face. "I love Silent Hill."

He couldn't believe it. Finally, he'd met a girl that liked his favorite game aside from Grand Theft Auto. "Let's see how you do on this one," he said, handing her the controller that Vince had dropped. As she took it from him, her fingers brushed his and he nearly shivered. "If it's anything like the second one, I should do pretty well," she commented as he turned on the game. He gave her a wicked smile. "We'll see about that."

_Two hours later_

Laughter filtered into the kitchen and Ni got up. Peeking through the door, she smiled as she watched Becca and Jesse. "Cute, isn't it?" Vince whispered in her ear. "Yeah. I'm glad to see they're getting along." "Did you think they wouldn't?" Mia asked, peeking around Ni and smiling. "I thought they would. Becca's just kind of shy, you know?" Mia nodded. "Jesse can be the same way. Especially around girls he doesn't know. God, I wish I had a camera," she giggled, glancing up at Ni. "I was thinking the same thing," Ni laughed softly and then let the door close. She was glad that Becca had made a few new friends.


	12. Blinker Comes Through

_Saturday night_

As always, cars of every color were gathered to see if Dom Toretto was going to race or not. After his last race, some people wondered if he still had what it took to be King of the Street Races. A few thought that his loss to Niema was a crushing blow. But they were wrong.

"You weren't kidding, Pris," Becca laughed, staring at all of the cars, "This is so close to my idea of Heaven that it's spooky." Pris smiled at her sister. "See? And just think, you and Jesse have all of this in common," she hinted with a sly smile. The girl's cheeks pinked. "Knock it off, would ya? I mean, he's a really sweet guy and all, but I don't think he'd like me that way," she murmured, glancing at Pris through her lashes. "And why not?" Pris demanded, giving Becca an exasperated look. "I dunno, but I know he wouldn't," was all the girl would say. _"So help me God, if Mom's been running her down again, I'm going to give her an earful,"_ Pris thought as she spotted Leon and Jesse. "Speaking of the mad scientist, I think I see him, Blink," Pris teased, pointing to where the two men stood by Jesse's car. Becca brightened immediately. "Really? Where?" she asked excitedly, rising on tiptoe to scan the crowd.

She spotted Leon immediately and started toward him. "I'll be back in a little bit, Pris," she called out as she wove her way through the crowd. Her older sister only grinned and nodded. Becca wouldn't admit it to her sister but she was thrilled at the thought of seeing Jesse again.

Jesse was checking the valves on his NOS tanks when Leon slapped him on the arm. "Dawg, hottie comin'," he joked, grinning. The younger man glared at him. "I got more important things to worry about, Leon, than hotties," he retorted, shaking his head. Leon smiled wickedly. "But this hottie is special, man. Nice legs, damn nice rack and the prettiest face I've ever seen." "Pris hears you say that and she's gonna hand you your ass, man," Jesse laughed, finally looking up. His eyes widened when he recognized the figure bouncing towards them. It was Becca. "Leon, why didn't you tell me it was her?" he hissed, suddenly annoyed with his friend. "You know her?" Jesse rolled his eyes. "Duh, dumbshit. That's Becca, Pris's sister." Leon's eyes grew round. "That's Becca? She didn't look like that when I met her," he commented, eyeing the girl appreciatively. "Don't, Leon. Don't even let yourself think it," Jesse warned with narrowed eyes. "You like her, don't you?" Leon asked softly. Wordlessly, his friend nodded. "But don't tell nobody, man. Please," Jesse pleaded in a low voice. "It's cool, little man," Leon assured him, smiling slightly.

"Hey, little girl," Leon called out when Becca was only a few feet away. "Don't call me 'little girl', Leon," she said, frowning slightly, "I hate that." "Hi, Blinker," Jesse said almost shyly. She smiled shyly as she replied, "Hi, Jesse. How's it going?" "All right. Just having a slight problem with my tanks," he answered, jerking his thumb toward the tanks. "Want me to take a look? Maybe I can help," she offered, moving next to him. "Sure, that'd be great. Leon, _move over_," he said, giving Leon a pointed look. The older man grinned and moved out of the way. Becca leaned into the trunk and peered at the tank connections. "Here's your problem, Jess," she murmured, lightly tapping the valve stem with her index finger, "The fitting's loose. I'd disconnect it until you can fix it." Jesse leaned closer. "Damn! I was planning on racing tonight. You know, make a little extra money," he said, realizing that his face was only inches from hers. She looked thoughtful. "Any chance you get one of the others to switch tanks with you? That would take care of the problem," she suggested after a moment's thought. He shook his head. "It would take too long and I don't have the tools with me." Suddenly she smiled. "I have an idea. I'll be right back," she told him and hurried away. He watched her go and wondered what she was up to.

Pris was talking to Edwin when Becca came back. "Pris, I need a favor," she whispered after getting her sister's attention. "What's wrong?" "Nothing. But I'm hoping that you have some of your tools with you. Do you?" Pris nodded. "Sure. Bec, what's going on?" she asked, watching as Becca dug around under the back seat. "Something for Jesse," Becca mumbled and came up with the tools she'd hoped to find. "Jesse?" "I'll explain later, okay? Thanks, Pris," the girl bubbled as she rushed back over to Jesse's car.

"I wonder about that girl sometimes," Pris muttered, shaking her head. But then she smiled. As far as she was concerned, Jesse was good for Becca.

When Becca got back to the car, she had a broad grin on her face. "You'll be able to race tonight, Jesse," she told him softly, giving him a wink. He scratched his head. "With a loose fitting on a NOS tank? Blinker, are you nuts?" A soft giggle was all he got by way of a reply. She leaned into the trunk, one knee resting on the bumper. "Becca, what are you gonna do?" Jesse demanded, trying to see what she was doing. "Hang on a sec and I'll show you," she answered, quickly removing the loose fitting and replacing it with an oddly-shaped one. While he watched, she tightened the new fitting in place and gave the valve a single turn. Taking a piece of bubble gum out of her mouth, she wrapped it around the fitting and muttered, "Yes!" "What'd you do?" Jesse asked curiously as she pulled the gum loose. Straightening, Becca smiled at him. "I replaced your old fitting with a new universal fitting. They're made to fit any size valve stem. The bubble gum was a leak test. There was no bubble so there was no leak," she explained almost shyly.

Jesse stared at her for a moment and then grinned. Without thinking, he grabbed her in his arms and swung her around in a circle. "Becca, you are so damn awesome!" he laughed as he set her down. "No, I'm not. I'm just ordinary, Jesse," she murmured, blushing profusely. He lightly touched her cheek. "If I say you're awesome, Becca Foster, you're awesome," he told her softly. "If I am, then you won't have any trouble winning a race tonight, will you?" she sassed, her pretty eyes twinkling. "No problem at all. I owe you one, Blinker," he said with a wink before heading over to the buy-in group.

"Hey there, beautiful," a male voice said a few minutes later. Becca turned. "Do I know you?" she asked, simply looking at him. "No, but I think I can change that," the young man in front of her said smoothly. "I'm only here to watch the races so you won't be changing anything," she told him quietly and turned to walk away. He caught her arm. "Come on, at least tell me your name." Becca stared at his hand on her arm. "Not hardly. And if you don't take your hand off my arm, asshole, you're gonna pull back a bloody stump," she retorted, losing patience. "Ooh, tough little girl, huh? I like tough little girls," he murmured, tightening his grip on her. Becca winced and then reacted. Grasping his forearm with her right hand, she gripped his upper arm with her left and yanked. As he rushed toward her, she stepped aside, sticking out one foot and tripping him. His head smacked against the side of Jesse's car and he fell to the ground.

"You little bitch!" he shouted as he tried to get back to his feet. "You figured it out already?" she laughed softly, "It usually takes a while for people to realize that." Without another word, she turned and walked back to where Pris and Ni were waiting. The watching crowd laughed as the young man made it to his feet and wobbled his way through the crowd to his own car.

Jesse watched the events unfolding near his car and was about to go help Becca but quickly realized that she didn't need it. She could handle herself quite well. "You see that, Leon?" he asked his friend. Leon laughed. "Everyone saw it. She's a helluva chick, Jess." Jesse blushed slightly. "She is, isn't she?" "Hell yeah, dawg," Leon replied, clapping him on the shoulder.

He went back to his car and got in, starting it up and moving it to the start line. Glancing to the side, he could see Becca standing with Pris, Niema and V. She smiled at him and held up crossed fingers. He smiled back and then focused his attention on the street in front of him.

Less than a minute later, Becca was jumping up and down. "He did it!" she crowed happily, hugging Pris and Niema. "Go congratulate him, Blink," Niema laughed, pointing at Jesse's car which had just come to a stop. With a big grin, Becca nodded and practically ran over to the car. She stopped a few feet short of the car and smiled at him. "All I get is a smile?" Jesse asked, his eyes twinkling mischievously. Giggling softly, Becca hugged him tightly. "I knew you'd win," she whispered as he hugged her back. "You helped me win, Becca," he whispered and then surprised her by kissing her. She stared at him for a moment and then kissed him back. The sight of that brought cheers from the crowd as well as the team.


End file.
